November 2005
Sibling Rivalry...
...at the Haus Der Kunst's latest exhibition
"Personality is everything in art and poetry." -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
If the words of Goethe are true, then the latest exhibition on show at Munich’s Haus der Kunst promises to be a truly intriguing event. “Family Affairs—Brothers and Sisters in Art” (Künstlerbrüder), which runs until January 22, 2006, features works by renowned artists alongside those by their not-so-famous siblings—lending fascinating insight into the ways in which artistic personalities with the same social and cultural backgrounds develop and raising the question of whether artistic talent really is genetic.
If the concept itself weren’t exciting enough, the show also offers tremendous variety. The 150 works from 90 museums and private collections are by a vast array of artists—60 sets of siblings—from different countries, cultures, periods and movements. Many of them are well-known, some to a lesser extent. There are paintings by siblings from distant cultural communities, such as India, as well as work dating back to the eighth century—for example that of Herlinde and Relinde at Maaseick Abbey—and up to the present day, by such artists as the British brothers Jake and Dinos Chapman and the American Quay brothers. Moreover, the works of less famous artists are juxtaposed with those of well-known and closely associated artists, such as Albrecht and Hans Dürer and Marcel and Suzanne Duchamp-Crotti.
In addition to its wide variety of artists, the exhibition covers a broad range of genres. Although the emphasis is firmly on painting and drawing, “Family Affairs” does include some sculpture, design, photography and video installations, providing an interesting opportunity for comparison. Indeed, the artists represented in the exhibition are really case studies demonstrating both the typical and more unusual behavioral patterns between sibling artists. There is a certain amount of science involved, too, which makes the show fascinating not only to art lovers, but to anyone interested in the melding of biological and spiritual worlds. The most commonly observed behavior of sibling artists is the act of drawing clear boundaries between their areas of activity in order to avoid rivalry. Some siblings, though, have chosen even to share commissions and produce joint works. This cooperation was intensified by the ideal of spiritual brotherhood in certain periods, like the Romantic era.
In keeping with the sibling theme, Dutch typographers Petr and Erik van Blokland have designed a textile frieze with the names of the siblings represented in the exhibition, which, incidentally, was opened by two German artist brothers, Maik and Dirk Löbbert. Visitors who turn up with their sibling will receive half-price entry, and admission for twins is free. Several sibling artists are signed up to speak during the early stages of the exhibition, so keep your eyes on the Website for the latest details.
If the exhibition leaves you with unanswered questions, or if you find the whole subject fascinating, the Haus der Kunst together with BOZAR, the Center for Fine Arts in Brussels, will be holding an interdisciplinary symposium in January 2006. Experts in the fields of art, gene and twin research and family sociology will participate.
